17.1 - The Origins of the Constitution Flashcards
What is a constitution?
A collection of rules, principles and conventions which outlines a political system.
What is the federal government?
The national government of the USA.
What are the three branches of federal government in the USA?
Congress, presidency and the judiciary.
What is federalism?
A system of government in which power and sovereignty are shared between the federal government and individual states.
How old is the US Constitution?
More than 230 years old.
What does the US constitution form the basis of?
Supreme Court rulings
Constraining power of governmental branches
When did the US colonies go into war with the British?
After the Declaration of Independence 1776.
How many US states went into war with the British in 1776?
13.
What article established sovereignty of the states and a weak federal government?
The Articles of Confederation.
Why did the Articles of Confederation come under fire?
Rebellions against the new government.
The weakness of the federal government caused debates for a stronger central government.
What was the Boston Tea Party?
American rebels against British rule.
‘No taxation without representation’
When was the Boston Tea Party?
1773.
What was the First Continental Congress?
A petition to King George III for a redress of its grievances.
What happened after the First Continental Congress?
British goods were boycotted.
When was the First Continental Congress?
1774.
What was the Second Continental Congress?
A congress that established support for the war of independence.
When was the Second Continental Congress?
1775.
What was the Declaration of Independence?
The article that established the 13 colonies as sovereign and legally independent from Great Britain.
When was the Declaration of Independence signed?
1776
When was the federal government first established and at what event?
1777, Second Continental Congress.
How long was the American War of Independence?
1775 - 1783.
What was the Annapolis Convention?
The political gathering which recommended a review to the Articles of Confederation.
Why was the Annapolis Convention called?
Shay’s Rebellion.
What was the Philadelphia Convention?
A replacement for the Articles of Confederation was drafted.
When was the Philadelphia Convention held?
1787.
When was the US Constitution ratified?
1788
When was the first presidential election?
1789.
Who was the first president of the US?
George Washington.
What was the Bill of Rights?
An amendment from 1 - 10 to quell criticisms of the new Constitution.
What were the main disagreements at the Philadelphia Convention?
Size and scope of federal government
Slavery
Which two plans did the Philadelphia Convention lead to?
New Jersey Plan
Virginia Plan
What was the New Jersey Plan?
A congress of one chamber based on equal representation of states.
Who drafted the New Jersey Plan?
William Paterson.
What was the Virginia Plan?
A congress of two chambers based on the populations of the states.
Who drafted the Virginia Plan?
James Madison.
How were the disagreements between the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan settled?
The Connecticut Compromise.
‘The Great Compromise’.
What was the Connecticut Compromise?
Congress of two chambers.
One chamber based on state population (House of Representatives)
One chamber based on equal representation (the Senate)
Who proposed the Connecticut Compromise?
Roger Sherman.
Why did the founding fathers at Philadelphia not want a large federal government?
They represented their states so did not want to give up lots of state power to a federal government.
